Chris Mann
Hillcrest’s Martinis Above Fourth has been mining a rich vein of TV-music-competition vets, often selling out the house, thanks to instantly famous faces who arrive with a built-in boob-tube fan base. In 2012, singer Chris Mann wowed the judges on the second season of The Voice, where the Wichita native managed to pull off everything from Andrea Bocelli to Coldplay, Simon & Garfunkel, and the Verve. He eventually came in fourth place, quickly moving on to a Christmas EP (a Walmart exclusive), followed a few weeks later by his debut studio full-length, Roads. Aided by the TV exposure and a major label push via Universal Republic, that album topped the U.S. Heatseakers chart, as well as hitting number five on the U.S. Classical chart. Before the year was out, he even had his own PBS special, A Mann For All Seasons.
He’s gone on to singing for several movie soundtracks and touring with India.Arie and Indina Menzel, with a sophomore album, Constellation, released last year. That one wasn’t on a major label and pretty much sank with little notice, but he’s managed to console himself by becoming one of the most acclaimed vocalists to portray the title character in U.S. touring versions of The Phantom of the Opera, a role he’s taken on for over 700 performances. When he hits the stage at Martinis Above Fourth, expect to hear his new single, “I Wanna (One Dance) with Somebody,” a novelty mashup of Drake and Whitney Houston.